ELASTOMERIC PADS

Elastomeric bearing pads are used in building and other structures like bridges to mount a road deck onto a foundation so that the road deck is able to move with respect to the foundation, within limits, without affecting the lateral or overloading the lateral loads on the foundation. The typical elastomeric pad is a steel rubber composite element and unlike steel (with a critical temperature of 540 °C) there is a critical performance temperature of 140 °C maximum (in some cases less) to ensure that the cross-linking introduced by the vulcanization process is not interfered within the elastomeric pads. There has been a need to protect these elastomeric bearing pads from fire as their consummation by fire can have drastic consequences to the structures supported on the elastomeric pads.

In some applications, elastomeric pads may be installed in critical areas (fire escape, corridors, etc). Consequently, the system may need to be enclosed in a fire protective system which needs to be air tight (unlike mineral wool, it must not allow smoke to penetrate), must not settle over time and be compressible to allow for settlement /movement of the slab so that there is no load imposed onto the corbel via the product.

LAF has developed a cost effective system which is fully tested, and which complies with Eurocode 1&2 and EN 1363-1 & 2, ISO 834 and AS 1530-4.